Which path to take to become an RN?

[pierce83]

I have a Liberal Arts Bachelor's Degree and I have worked in a doctor's office for four years now. I have spent so much time debating on whether or not to return to school. I just finished a CNA class since I know it is prerequisite. I have signed up to begin taking other prerequisites as well. I just can't decide on my best route. I am thirty years old and ready to begin a family as soon as I am finished with school but know that it is best to hold of on that until I am done. I am scared of how expensive the ABSN programs are. The one that I would love to apply to is 50,000. I just don't want that much debt. However, I would be done in one year. But I know the cheapest route would be the community college ADN route and then the online RN-BSN route. I have researched and that would be 20,000 but that also requires putting off starting a family for about three more years. And that would be just to complete the ADN program. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated!!

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Just my 2 cents - but if you take a less intensive educational route, it is certainly possible to accomplish both goals (baby & degree) at the same time. There are a lot of AN'ers who can attest to this. I haven't seen any research on this specific issue, but there's no evidence that pregnancy impairs brain function. One nursing student even told me reading study materials aloud was a sure fire way to soothe her baby to sleep... maybe it was just boredom - .

I know that a lot of people are incurring mega-loans for nursing school, but it just doesn't make financial sense in terms of the ROI. Raising kids is expensive - been there, ... still there!!! Chaining yourself to that much debt is very scary, especially when (thanks to legislative changes) loan repayment will always have to be prioritized over spending money on your family.